Three months have passed since my 45th high school reunion. Such a happy time for the class of 1970.
And now we are sad. Sad, because one of our own, one who was a huge contributor to our reunion committee, has passed on unexpectedly. An undeniably nice person, she went out of her way to treat everyone with respect and dignity. Her death was a tragic contrast to her life. The details are still unclear but she was found unresponsive in a wooded area. Cause of death is still unknown.
My classmates have proclaimed their dismay on our class Facebook page. Why? She was a beautiful person. We all enjoyed her joie de vivre, her ability to put everyone at ease, her passion for helping others in time of need. Why had she been taken from us so soon?
We may never know. Was she herself troubled enough to take her own life? Or, was her death an tragic accident? The questions are being asked in response to the way she was found. Hopefully we will receive answers soon enough. We will remember the good times. All of us who spoke with her at the 45th reunion will be happy that we spoke with her one last time. Her spirit will remind us of who she was and all that she could have been.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Wow...What fun!
What else can I say? What a reunion! Everyone said it was the best one ever. 60+ classmates, ~ 20 spouses, 5 teachers. So many smiling folks, so much laughter! We all acted like we had seen each other just yesterday...unbelievable!
It was a bit nerve-wracking when several people said they were coming at the last minute. We worried if we would have enough food. That turned out to not be a problem. Plenty of food to go around! The tables were set with white tablecloths and red napkins, red and white carnations in vases, one vase for each of those classmates who are no longer with us. photos attached of the deceased. Beautiful tributes.
The teachers were thrilled to be asked to the party. It was so nice to see some of our favorite educators, now in their 70's. My favorite American history teacher looked great. My world history teacher actually remembered where I had sat in class. The football coaches were happy to be there...lots of football guys to reminisce with. We asked the question, "Who remembered the score of the big rivalry game in 1969?" They all shouted out the correct answer like it was that day...who could forget that? We gave away prizes for the people who traveled the farthest, had the oldest and youngest children, sent in the last reunion responses. It was a fun activity.
The class photo was fun...serious and non-serious poses! It was the largest group we had ever had. We were the last and best class from my high school...and we truly believe it.
It was a bit nerve-wracking when several people said they were coming at the last minute. We worried if we would have enough food. That turned out to not be a problem. Plenty of food to go around! The tables were set with white tablecloths and red napkins, red and white carnations in vases, one vase for each of those classmates who are no longer with us. photos attached of the deceased. Beautiful tributes.
The teachers were thrilled to be asked to the party. It was so nice to see some of our favorite educators, now in their 70's. My favorite American history teacher looked great. My world history teacher actually remembered where I had sat in class. The football coaches were happy to be there...lots of football guys to reminisce with. We asked the question, "Who remembered the score of the big rivalry game in 1969?" They all shouted out the correct answer like it was that day...who could forget that? We gave away prizes for the people who traveled the farthest, had the oldest and youngest children, sent in the last reunion responses. It was a fun activity.
The class photo was fun...serious and non-serious poses! It was the largest group we had ever had. We were the last and best class from my high school...and we truly believe it.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
One More Week!
Wow, a lot has happened since my last post. I must admit, about a month ago I was worried that the reunion may not be a success. We hadn't received many positive responses from classmates about coming. That has all changed. In the last couple of weeks, classmates have been returning the responses in great numbers.
To date, 81 people, including spouses and a few teachers have responded that they are coming. When the reunion committee started the whole process, my goal was to double the number of people attending. That goal has been realized. Success! What a great feeling! About 60 classmates (one third of the available class), several spouses, and 5 teachers will be attending.
The weekend will begin with an informal Friday night party at a local bar. The reunion will be on Saturday night with food, fun, photos, music, and camaraderie! The continuation will be a brunch on Sunday with anyone not hung over from the first 2 nights.
Looking forward to some fun times in the old town!
To date, 81 people, including spouses and a few teachers have responded that they are coming. When the reunion committee started the whole process, my goal was to double the number of people attending. That goal has been realized. Success! What a great feeling! About 60 classmates (one third of the available class), several spouses, and 5 teachers will be attending.
The weekend will begin with an informal Friday night party at a local bar. The reunion will be on Saturday night with food, fun, photos, music, and camaraderie! The continuation will be a brunch on Sunday with anyone not hung over from the first 2 nights.
Looking forward to some fun times in the old town!
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
The Teachers
My reunion committee questioned whether or not we would like to invite some of our old high school teachers to the reunion. Should we? Will they come? Are any even still alive? The locals pondered whom they might have seen in and around the area.
The football coaches were still around and lived in town. There is that world history teacher that we had in the 9th grade...one person said she sees him at the gym sometimes. What about the American history teacher that everyone liked? Ohhhh...and the physics teacher that no one liked, who married a girl 2 years ahead of us in high school...he still lives in the area...
Well, we did it...invited a bunch of teachers and it will be an interesting night! The 9th grade world history teacher was well-liked despite the fact that he stared at girls' legs...a fact we all remembered. I sat in the front of his class and he would talk to me before class, ask me embarrassing questions, like did I go to the dance last Friday? He always picked on me to know the answer to questions about the previous lesson...and I always knew the answer.
The old physics teacher was the subject of a previous post and I would really like to tell him that I went into science despite hating his class and that I even had to teach physics concepts to 8th and 9th graders. And...that I work in the pharma industry!
Will they recognize me? I have no idea. I doubt if I look much like the young girl they might remember, if they remember me at all. But, I think we will have some fun getting to know them all over again!
The football coaches were still around and lived in town. There is that world history teacher that we had in the 9th grade...one person said she sees him at the gym sometimes. What about the American history teacher that everyone liked? Ohhhh...and the physics teacher that no one liked, who married a girl 2 years ahead of us in high school...he still lives in the area...
Well, we did it...invited a bunch of teachers and it will be an interesting night! The 9th grade world history teacher was well-liked despite the fact that he stared at girls' legs...a fact we all remembered. I sat in the front of his class and he would talk to me before class, ask me embarrassing questions, like did I go to the dance last Friday? He always picked on me to know the answer to questions about the previous lesson...and I always knew the answer.
The old physics teacher was the subject of a previous post and I would really like to tell him that I went into science despite hating his class and that I even had to teach physics concepts to 8th and 9th graders. And...that I work in the pharma industry!
Will they recognize me? I have no idea. I doubt if I look much like the young girl they might remember, if they remember me at all. But, I think we will have some fun getting to know them all over again!
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Speaking of gym class, how do you like these highly attractive gym suits that we wore back in the late 1960's? We had royal blue ones in junior high and maroon ones in high school. One piece with an attached belt around the waist that cinched you in for a defined waist. Of course, the short shorts had bloomers attached underneath so that no one could look up your shorts legs. They were made of non-stretch cotton, so they were pretty uncomfortable. We even wore these for girls' basketball...white ones...with numbered red pinnies over the uniform. Keds sneakers and white socks completed the look!
Monday, March 9, 2015
Coach and Ma and the Square Dance Lessons
What did you do in sophomore year gym class? Exercises? Basketball? Running?
Well, you haven't lived until you have learned to square dance in gym class. Oh my! Talk about embarrassment. In 1967, with excruciating pain and humiliation, the sophomore class learned to allemande left and do-si-do. I wonder if it was as painful for the gym teachers as it was for the students?
Ma, the girls' gym teacher, and Coach, the guys' gym teacher, were the co-teachers in this strange new journey. Ma was about 6 feet tall and like a drill sergeant; Coach was the football guy, nice, but awkward trying to teach us to dance.
First things first: We walked into the gym to find that the curtain to separate the boys from the girls was pulled back. We were told to line up, girls on one side of the room, guys on the other. Then we walked toward each other until we each had a partner. No one was quite sure who one would end up with until you matched up in the middle of the room. Ugh! You were stuck with that person for 3 weeks until the unit was done.
My guy could at least follow directions and we successfully learned the intricacies of the dances. Others were not so talented and failed miserably. Did we like it? Hell, no. Mercifully, the unit ended quickly and we went back to badminton and volleyball and our segregated lives behind the curtain..
Well, you haven't lived until you have learned to square dance in gym class. Oh my! Talk about embarrassment. In 1967, with excruciating pain and humiliation, the sophomore class learned to allemande left and do-si-do. I wonder if it was as painful for the gym teachers as it was for the students?
Ma, the girls' gym teacher, and Coach, the guys' gym teacher, were the co-teachers in this strange new journey. Ma was about 6 feet tall and like a drill sergeant; Coach was the football guy, nice, but awkward trying to teach us to dance.
First things first: We walked into the gym to find that the curtain to separate the boys from the girls was pulled back. We were told to line up, girls on one side of the room, guys on the other. Then we walked toward each other until we each had a partner. No one was quite sure who one would end up with until you matched up in the middle of the room. Ugh! You were stuck with that person for 3 weeks until the unit was done.
My guy could at least follow directions and we successfully learned the intricacies of the dances. Others were not so talented and failed miserably. Did we like it? Hell, no. Mercifully, the unit ended quickly and we went back to badminton and volleyball and our segregated lives behind the curtain..
You just never know...
Wow! There are just 4 months until my 45th high school reunion. Our reunion committee has done a great job of finding classmates, getting organized, and planning. One of the best things that we had decided to do was to create a scholarship fund with which to honor the class of 2015. When we started, we had fairly low expectations for how much we thought we could accumulate. However, almost $10,000 later, we are amazed at the generosity of our classmates. We have collected a real nest egg and we have decided what we will do with it. We have also survived an onslaught of suggestions from late-comers to the fold who have suggested that we aggressively manage our money and make much, much more. Those suggesting the aggressive approach, of course, had no intention of helping us manage it. Thus we decided to give it to the high school to manage in their own tax exempt accounts, assuring the donors that they could take a tax deduction each year that they donate. We decided that it was a WIN-WIN situation...kids get money and we get tax deductions and get to feel good.
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